Share This Story!

Allen: Injecting new faces into NHL talks is a plus

Putting a few new voices into the dressing room has long been viewed as an effective strategy for improving the performance level of faltering NHL teams. Tuesday it also proved to be beneficial in NHL talks.

NEW YORK - Putting a few new voices into the dressing room has long been viewed as an effective strategy for improving the performance level of faltering NHL teams.

Tuesday, it proved to also be a beneficial plan for jump-starting stalled talks between NHL owners and players. On the 80th day of the NHL lockout, a fresh team of owners, headlined by Pittsburgh's Ron Burkle, met with 18 NHL players in what appeared to be a positive step toward resolving the stalemate.

It's too soon to know whether the talks will lead to a deal to save the season, but it seems as if both sides at least believe, maybe for the first time. that the other side is trying to reach an agreement.

With the clock ticking toward a possible cancellation of the season, the timing was right for both sides to have a greater sense of urgency.

Having new faces such Burkle, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman and Toronto Maple Leafs owner Larry Tanenbaum might have added new perspective to the proceedings. Going into the meetings, there was talk that Burkle, a California supermarket billionaire, and his Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, might be able to use their good relationship to bring positive energy to a negotiation process that has been swamped by negative waves.

But maybe Burkle and Crosby were simply symbols of an overwhelming view on both sides of this fight that it would be disastrous for everyone to let the season be canceled.

Also changing up the talks: Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr stayed out of the room and plan to do so again on Wendesday.

Although no one was saying for sure why progress was being made, the undercurrent seemed to be that the two sides had at least cut away enough of the obstacles to see the path toward a settlement.

Going into the day, the two sides were $182 million apart on the primary financial issue of dividing revenue and had a wide gap on their views on individual player contracts. The presumption has long been that players were going to have to compromise sharply on the financial issue, and owners were going to have to give in a major way on the contract issues.

It's unknown exactly where things stood as of midnight Tuesday night, but the fact they plan to talk on Wednesday is considered progress.

The 18-person player group, while containing some of the same players who had been primary negotiators, also had some new faces to give negotiations added freshness.

During the news briefing after a long day of talks, NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr said it might have been the best day of talks the two sides have had in many months of negotiating.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that he felt like both sides were working to get a deal done.

That seemed to be a noteworthy quote considering that both sides have accused the other not working hard enough to reach a deal.

Fehr and Daly were careful not to say too much, but they seemed to be saying plenty with very few words. Their words might have been lawyer-speak for we are at least on the same page.

There is still a long way to go. It's still too early to say a deal is close and the next 48 hours will tell us a lot. But the chances for a deal do seem better than they have at any point in these negotiations.